Support for display rack or the like



E. E. SCHAEFER SUPPORT FOR DISPLAY RACK OR THE LIKE Filed Deo. 20, 1960Aug. 6, 1963 5E/wafer Park, a

NVENTOR u 1 I w l l of being temporarily anchored in 3,100,999 PatentedAug. 6, 1363 ice 3,106,099 SUPPURT FOR DISPLAY RACK R THE LIKE Edward E.Schaefer, 1534 Park Ave., River Forest, Ill. Filed Dec. 20, 1960, Ser.No. 77,212 4 Claims. (Cl. 248-194) For optimum use of the availablespace, such racks should be capable of being arranged in variouslocations and position to meet varying display requirements. Inparticular, it is important that the upright posts or other uprightstructural members of the racks be capable of being mounted in exactvertical relation regardless of whether the door or other supportingsurface is level.

Accordingly, a broad object of the present invention is to provide anovel and improved support structure for an upright member which insuresvertical disposition of the upright member for varying degrees oflevelness of i the supporting surface.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improvedsupport for the upright portion of a display rack or the like, saidsupport having adjustable leveling means accessible for adjustmentwholly from the i .l

upper side of the support.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improvedsupport of the aforementioned character having means for anchoring thesame in a desired location on a iloor or the like.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe subsequent detailed description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. l is a perspective view of a floor rack embodying the features ofthe invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged scale sectional view taken along theline 2 2 of FIG. 1 showing the base portion of the rack in plan;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken along the line '33 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 4 4 of FIG. 2.

Referring first to FIG. l of the drawing, a display rack is illustratedcomprising a pair of upright supports 10 and 11 with a telescopingcrossbar y12 extending between their upper ends for suspending garmentsby means of coat hangers or the like. Each of the supports 10l and 11includes a three-legged base 13 or 14, the base being anchored to afloor 16 by means of an anchor screw cooperating between the base and athreaded socket member 17 in the floor 16, as more fully describedbelow. The floor 16 is preferably provided with a plurality of sockets17 spaced at equal distances from each other over the entire displayarea of the iloor in order that a plurality of racks may be utilized indifferent positions, as may be required.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, the structure and operation of the support 10will be described in detail but it will be understood that thedescription applies equally to the support 11. The base I13 of thesupport 10 comprises three angularly related leg portions, which forconvenience and economy of manufacture are preferably arranged in agenerally T-shaped conguration. In the illustrated embodiment, theT-shaped base 13 is made up of a pair of inverted U-shaped channels 18and 19 which are welded together, as at 21, the channel 19 providing thecentral leg portion of the T and the opposite ends of the channel 18providing the other two leg portions. An upright tubular post orvertical member 22 is secured at its lower end, as by welding 23, to theupper surface of the channel 18 substantially at the juncture betweenthe channels 18 and 19. The post 22 may have an upright extension 24telescopically connected therewith as illus- ,trated in FIGS. 1 and 3,but it will be understood that a one-piece post construction may also beused where vertical adjustability is not required.

The outer ends of each of the channels 18 and 19 constituting the threeleg portions of the base 13 are each provided with leveling meansadapted to engage the floor :16. Thus, a block 26 is rigidly secured inthe open end of each channel and is provided with a threaded verticalbore 27 aligned with an aperture 28 (FIG. 4) in the upper surface of thechannel member. A vertically adjustable leveling screw 29 is threadedlyengaged in the bore 27 and is provided at its lower end with a roundedcontact portion 31 which engages the oor 16. The upper end of theleveling screw 29 has a slot 32 which is accessible by means of a screwdriver or other tool through the aligned bore 27 and aperture 28. Thus,the base 13 is supported on the floor 16 at three spaced points by meansof the leveling screws 29, and each screw 29 is independently adjustableso that regardless of degree of levelness of the Hoor 16 the base 13 maybe adjusted to insure vertical disposition of the post 22-24.

As will be evident, the adjustment of the leveling screws .29* may bereadily accomplished because the upper adjusting end 32 of each screw 29is entirely accessible from the upper side of the base 1'3. It isnecessary that the base `13 be disposed in slightly spaced relationabove the u floor 16 in order to allow proper clearance for levelingadjustment of the base, but it will be understood that the space betweenthe base 13 and the floor 16 should be no greater than necessary forthis purpose. It is, therefore, an important advantage of the inventionthat the leveling screws 29 are accessible for adjustment entirely fromthe upper side of the base thereby avoiding the inconvenience anddifficulty of manipulations in the relatively small space between theunderside of the base and the floor.

Inasmuch as the leveling screws 29 are independently adjustable, thelower ends of the screws which engage the floor surface must beself-adjusting in order to accommodate a reasonable degree of angularitybetween the base 13 -and the floor 16. In the illustrated embodiment,this is accomplished by means of the rounded contact portions 31, but itwill be appreciated that conventional at contact members having a swivelconnection with the lower ends of the screws 29 could also be employed.

In order to anchor the support 1@ at any desired location on the floor16, an anchor screw is provided to connect the base 13 to any selectedone of the sockets 17 in the floor. As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, ablock 33 is rigidly mounted within the channel 19 at the inner endthereof closely adjacent the juncture Ibetween .the chaunels 18 and 19.A recess 34 is provided in the upper surface of tlhe block 33 inalignment with an opening 36 in the upper wall of the channel 19. Theanchor screw, designated at 37, extends 'downwardly through anunthreaded -bore 38 in Ithe block 33 and has an enlarged head portion 39adapted to seat in countersunk relation in the recess 34 and the opening36. The lower threaded end lof the screw 37 extends into a r-eaded bore41 in a tubular element 42 mounted in the floor 16 and constitutin-g thesocket 17. rIlhe upper end of the screw head 39 has a suitably shapednon-circular recess 43l (FIG. 2)

for manipulation of the screw 37 by a suitable tool. The upper or inletend of the threaded bore 41 of the socket member `42 preferably has adared opening 44 to facilitate engagement of the screw 37 in the socket.Socket members 17 which are not in use may be concealed, if desired, bysuitable closures (not shown) for the sake of appearance and to preventthe bore 41 trom becoming lled -with dirt or the like.

Although for the salse `of illustration the invention has beenillustrated in FIG. 1 in connection with a pair of supports and 11having a hanger -bar 12 extending therebetween, it will be understoodthat any desired type of supporting structu-re may be mounted on theuprights, e.g. shelves, counters, wall panels, etc., and as manydifferent support units as desired may be utilized in conjunction witheach other. However, in every instance it will be extremely importantthat cooperating uprights be maintained in exact vertical relationregardless of whether the floor 16 is uniformly level or irregular. Thethreepoint support and leveling means of the present invention insuresthat each upright can be independently regulated to obtain verticalalignment in a very rapid and simple manner. Furthermore, once thedesired leveling adjustment of the base =13 has been accomplished bymeans of the leveling screws 39, the anchor screw 37 may then betightened so that the ent-ire support is securely iixed in position. Inthis connection, it will be recognized that the location of .the anchorscrew 37 in the central leg portion of the T-shaped base and closelyadjacent the juncture between the leg portions of the Ibase insuresmaxirnum stability of the support structure. Although the three-leggedchannel member construction herein illustrated is preferred, it will berecognized that the base construction may be modied as long as itincorporates at least three spaced points of support which areaccessible `for leveling adjustment entirely -frorn the upper side ofthe base together with an anchor device for securing the base at apredetermined location on the display iloor or surface.

provement which com-prises a rigid base adapted to be supported :ingenerally horizontal relation above a generally horizontal supportingsurface such as a floor, said base having three triangulariy spacedthreaded bores adapted to extend generally vertically relative to .thesupporting surface, adjustable screw members threadedly engaged in saidbores and projecting downwardly from said base, said screw membershaving means at the lower ends thereof -for self-adjusting substantiallyrigid engagement with the supporting sur-face and the upper ends `ofsaid screw members being accessible from the upper side of said base andthe upper ends of said bores tor effecting leveling of the base, and ananchor element extending downwardly and loosely through said base, saidanchor element having a threaded lower end portion engageable with acooperating threaded `opening in said surface and an upper lend portionengageable in abutting relation with said base and-accessible :from theupper side of said base, whereby, after leveling of the lbase has beeneiected by said adjustable screw members, said anclhor element can betightened yfor clamping the leveled base to said surface.

2. The structure of claim l further characterized inV leg portionsextending outwardly from a central por-- tion, each of said leg portionsbeing provided with a threaded bore adjacent its outer end with thethreaded portions of ysaid adjustable members being mounted in saidbores, and said anchor element extending through one of said legportions at the inner end thereof adjacent said central portion.

3. The structure of claim 2 further characterized in that said base isgenerally T-shaped and said anchor element extends through 4the centralleg portion of the T- shaped base.

4. In combination, a generally horizontal supporting surface having aplurality of threaded sockets mounted therein, and a support as setforth lin clairn 1 with the threaded lower end portion of said anchorelement being receivable in one of said sockets.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS'1,123,960 Von der Lin Jan. 5, 1915 1,496,206 Burlin June 3, 19241,843,054 Weinstein Ian. 26, 1932 2,205,545 Schmitt Iune 25, 19402,283,324 Faber May 19, 1942 2,525,008 Zalcariaseu Oct. 10, 19502,885,090 Forman May 5, 1959 2,964,202 Gingher Dec. 13, 1960

1. IN A SUPPORT OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICHCOMPRISES A RIGID BASE ADAPTED TO BE SUPPORTED IN GENERALLY HORIZONTALRELATION ABOVE A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL SUPPORTING SURFACE SUCH AS AFLOOR, SAID BASE HAVING THREE TRIANGULARLY SPACED THREADED BORES ADAPTEDTO EXTEND GENERALLY VERTICALLY RELATIVE TO THE SUPPORTING SURFACE,ADJUSTABLE SCREW MEMBERS THREADEDLY ENGAGED IN SAID BORES AND PROJECTINGDOWNWARDLY FROM SAID BASE, SAID SCREW MEMBERS HAVING MEANS AT THE LOWERENDS THEREOF FOR SELF-ADJUSTING SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID ENGAGEMENT WITH THESUPPORTING SURFACE AND THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID SCREW MEMBERS BEINGACCESSIBLE FROM THE UPPER SIDE OF SAID BASE AND THE UPPER ENDS OF SAIDBORES FOR EFFECTING LEVELING OF THE BASE, AND AN ANCHOR ELEMENTEXTENDING DOWNWARDLY AND LOOSELY THROUGH SAID BASE, SAID ANCHOR ELEMENTHAVING A THREADED LOWER END PORTION ENGAGEABLE WITH A COOPERATINGTHREADED OPENING IN SAID SURFACE AND AN UPPER END PORTION ENGAGEABLE INABUTTING RELATION WITH SAID BASE AND ACCESSIBLE FROM THE UPPER SIDE OFSAID BASE, WHEREBY, AFTER LEVELING OF THE BASE HAS BEEN EFFECTED BY SAIDADJUSTABLE SCREW MEMBERS, SAID ANCHOR ELEMENT CAN BE TIGHTENED FORCLAMPING THE LEVELED BASE TO SAID SURFACE.